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Everyone should write Santa letters each year – after all, how do people expect to get their presents if they don’t? Santa won’t know where to stop his sleigh! And you never know, you might get letters from Santa back! So what other reason do you have to not write to Santa and get what you want?

While this is an ideal situation, unfortunately it only works for children. Sorry adults! You have to rely on my traditional methods of transportation to get your presents to each other. Have no fear though, with a bit of careful planning and some thought, your presents will arrive in one piece and on time before the big day arrives. There’s nothing worse than having to wait for presents to arrive after Christmas, so here’s some ways you can ensure their arrival.

The most conventional method for most people at this time of year is to use the postal system. While there’s been a lot of stigma surrounding the postal system for a while, there are ways and methods to do things that will ensure your presents arrive and that you know about it. For example, you can use things like Recorded Delivery or Special Delivery, which basically just means that the person receiving the package has to sign for it or show identification. This way you know your presents have been received.

Another method is to use special delivery companies, such as ParcelForce. They’re a very big name and are trusted with (usually) much bigger or more expensive purchases than your everyday postal system. There are other companies who deliver the same methods and transportation, but you would need to look for them yourself. Have a look around and see which company can offer you the best service. Some of them will even collect from your home to avoid you having to find the time to send them, which is the most common cause of presents arriving too late for the big day.

The other way, and perhaps the most favourite but least used due to time constrictions is delivering them yourself. Nothing says “Merry Christmas” better than your loved ones turning up on your doorstep with an armful of pretty presents. Also this way you know for absolutely definite that your presents have been delivered and have arrived safely and on time. You don’t get any more assurance than that! However, obviously this is a very busy time of year and this option isn’t always viable for many families unfortunately, but if you can find the time and the spare cash for travel, then don’t rule it out!

Presents arriving on time and in one piece is the biggest worry for most families, but if you put some care, attention and planning into delivering your gifts, then your Christmas should go without a hitch.

Stay away from debt negotiators if you need to repair your credit. They’ll do more harm than good to your valuable credit rating.

In many cases, debt negotiators could be more accurately dubbed “credit destroyers.” If you don’t know what to watch out for when dealing with debt negotiation companies, that’s exactly what they’ll do.

Debt negotiators often make a very bold claim; that they can get your creditors to agree to accept only a percentage of the amount you owe them. While this may in fact be true, your credit may be destroyed in the process. In a worst case scenario you could also end up owing even more money than the debt negotiator promised you would save.

Avoid debt negotiators who make claims that seem too good to be true. Any debt negotiator who guarantees that your unsecured debt can be removed should be regarded with healthy skepticism. The only thing that’s likely to end up being removed is your good credit rating.

You may also have to pay several expensive fees upfront in order to gain some very questionable advice. Unscrupulous debt negotiators may try to convince you to stop paying your credit card bills altogether. If you follow this advice you’ll regret it.

For each missed credit card payment, you’ll be charged late fees and your credit score will plummet. In the meantime you may be charged hefty monthly fees by your debt negotiator who is claiming to be working to reduce your debt.

In actuality, the negotiator waits for several months and then contacts each of your creditors to tell them that you no longer have the means to pay off your debt. The negotiator will try to convince the creditors that they should forgive some of your debt. If successful, the negotiator may reach a settlement with your creditors to close out your account and require you to pay back somewhere between 10 – 50 percent of the original balance owed. If a creditor is convinced that you’ll default on your debt, they may be willing to forgive some of your debt in as effort to at recoup at least some of their losses.

It might seem like a great idea to enlist the services of a debt negotiator if you owe $9,000 and can get your debt reduced to $5,000, for example. The $4,000 you save will be considered taxable income by the IRS, however. Come tax time you could end up losing your yearly refund and even owe money. The IRS is not as forgiving of debts as some creditors may be.

Although a debt negotiator may convince many creditors to forgive some of your debt, there’s no guarantee your creditors will agree to any settlement. In the meantime you could be sued for nonpayment, have your wages garnished and put your assets at risk. Your credit rating will also end up in much worse shape than before you consulted with a debt negotiator.

No “quick fix” solutions offered by debt negotiators will improve your credit score. Only time and a commitment to pay off your debts will truly help you in the long run. Remember, the choices you make today will have a profound influence on all of your possible financial futures.

How many of your speeches could be considered artistic? Do your audiences view you as a master speaker? What would you have to do to boost your speaking to the next level?

Highly experienced speakers not only know their subject, they know themselves, their audiences and their craft. They know how to write, stage and organize winning presentations that engage the audience at all levels.

To kick your speaking up a notch, take any of these 13 tips on as a project and watch your investment in yourself as a speaker grow.

13 Strategies For Making Your Speeches Masterful

1. Go beyond telling your audience about your subject. Be passionate and become engaged with your subject.

2. Demonstrate your credibility and your right to be on the platform by recounting your experiences as an expert and how you solved problems and helped people and organizations.

3. Masterfully customize your material for each audience so they know absolutely that you are there for them.

4. Refine your voice control and turn your throat into a musical instrument your audiences love to listen to at length.

5. Speak from your heart and touch the hearts of your audience. Take risks by being vulnerable, imperfect and your audience will see you as a real human being, as one of them, not just as “the speaker”.

6. Speak the truth and your audience will respond. Avoid any inconsistencies or incongruencies between your “real life” and your “platform life”.

7. Tell more stories and give fewer statistics. Reduce the PowerPoint and get more personal and people will respond eagerly.

8. Connect with your audience, one person at a time. Begin the personal touch before you take the stage by “being with” people in the audience, not “talking at” them.

9. Have fun as you speak and so will your audience. To get in the fun mode, stop focusing on yourself, and instead be audience-centered.

10. Respect your audiences and they will respect you. Never insult or disrespect anyone in your audiences. Show your regard for everyone.

11. Stop writing your speeches and start living them. Find your best material from your travels, your work, your friends, your family and the real world around you.

12. Create multi-media presentations to engage people the way they are used to — with modern media. Coordinate your talk points with particular moments in the media show and you will WOW people.

13. Create and deliver your talk from the A-V-K matrix. This means your talk should be approximately 25% auditory, with 45% visual and 30% kinesthetic. You want to speak to everyone’s learning styles in the audience.

Now you have a better idea how master speakers make it look so easy. The hard work is in the preparation and in the crafting of the message. Enjoy your journey in the speaking world and you will reap the many benefits of this exciting calling.

For a comprehensive overview of your abilities as a speaker you need an assessment instrument that identifies your complete strengths and weaknesses. For a free, easy-to-take 65-item presentation assessment tool you can score right on the spot, visit http://www.mentalgamecoach.com/Assessments/PresentationSkillsAssessment.html. You can use this as a guide in creating your own presentation coaching program, or as the basis for a coaching program you undertake with Bill Cole, MS, MA.

Copyright © 2006 Bill Cole, MS, MA. All rights reserved.